ITALY - WHAT ARE THE INCAPACITY AND DISABILITY BENEFITS?

What happens in Italy if you are incapacity to work? What are the benefits provided by Italian Government in this case?
 
We try to clarify it with this article

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There are various types of incapacity and disability benefits:
 

• ordinary incapacity benefits (Assegno Ordinario di Invalidità - AOI): an economic benefit, provided upon request, to workers whose working capacity is reduced by at least a third due to physical or mental illness;
• disability pension (Pensione di Inabilità) is an economic benefit provided upon request to workers who are completely and permanently unable to return to any working activity.

Workers registered with obligatory forms of insurance, who are no longer able, completely or in part, to return to working activity are protected by economic benefits (incapacity benefits, disability pension) to help ease the state of need and adverse economic position in which they find themselves.
 In what event you can claim it?
Suppose you belong to the category of employed or independent workers (artisans, traders, direct farmers, tenant farmers and sharecroppers) and are registered with any pension fund which substitutes and supplements the obligatory general cover. In that case, you are insured against the risk of the partial or total reduction of your working capacity.
Depending on the degree of reduction of working capacity, you can claim two different types of benefits:
 

• ordinary incapacity benefits (AOI in the Italian acronym for “Assegno Ordinario di Invalidità): subject to confirmation every three years;
• disability pension.

 
What conditions do you need to meet?
 You are entitled to AOI if you meet the following requirements:
reduction of working capacity by at least a third due to physical or mental illness or defect;
at least five years of contributions and insurance, of which three years of contributions and insurance have been in the five years before the date on which your claim is submitted.
Cessation of your working activity is not required.
The AOI paid to you as a consequence of a work-related accident or illness is not cumulative with the annuity paid to you for the same disabling event, up to the annuity amount.
 You are entitled to the disability pension if you meet the following requirements:
 

• total and permanent inability to return to any working activity due to physical or mental illness or defect;
• at least five years of contributions and insurance, of which three years of contributions and insurance have been in the five years prior to the date on which your claim is submitted;
• cessation of any working activity;
• removal from worker category lists;
• cancellation of membership of professional bodies;
• renouncing payments covered by obligatory unemployment insurance and any other replacement or supplement to your salary.

You are provided with the disability pension as an insured worker if you are acknowledged to be totally and permanently incapable of returning to the activities for which you were previously employed due to your physical or mental illness.
 What are you have entitled to, and how you can claim?
 The amount of AOI is determined by applying the following calculation systems to the contributions you have accrued:
mixed (partially calculated using the remuneration system and partially with the contribution system), if you started the working activity before 31 December 1995;
contribution, if you began to the working activity after 31 December 1995.
The AOI is compatible with working activity and is valid for three years. 
 You can submit a claim electronically only, by one of the following means:
Web: electronic services which can be accessed directly by citizens using a second level SPID (Public Digital Identity System) or a CIE (Electronic Identity Card) or a CNS (National Service Card) through the INPS website (Online services);
INPS Multi-channel Contact Centre;
Employee organisations and Tax Assistance Centres: electronic services offered.
 A medical certificate must be attached to claims.
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